Water-impact fuse



Feb. 27, 1923. 1,446,764

H. J. NICHOLS WATER IMPACT FUSE Filed NOV. 18, 1919 z w I /4 REMOVE 25 BEFORE 31 Z6 20 2/ FIRING I? 79 26 J0 awvawiioz Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

UNITD STATES HARRY J'- NICHOLS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WATER-IMPACT FUSE.

Application filed November 18, 1919. Serial No. 338,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Water-Impact Fuses, of which the followinglis a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in fuses for shells, and it is intended to pro-v vide a fuse which is simple in construction, safe against accidents and efficient in operation. It is particularly intended to operate instantly and without fail when the shell strikes the water, this being desirable with certain special classes of projectiles.

Percussion fuses of the usual type which operate when the shell is suddenly arrested in its flight do not operate reliably on water impact and particularly when the shell ricochets, and in any case not until the shell has penetrated into the water, which is not always desirable. My invention, on the contrary, operates when the point of the projectile only has penetrated the water a very short distance and whether or not the shell ricochets without arresting its flight to any considerable degree.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which the same parts are indicated by the same numbers throughout the several views.

Figure 1 shows a section through the fuse stock, with parts shown in elevation and in the safety position.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section,

the parts being shown in elevation and. in

the firing position.

- Figures 3 and 4 are detail sections of, two interfitting parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 5 is a fuse-stock, which may be screwed into the nose of a projectile in the usual way. The fuse-stock is bored out to, form the chamber 6 in which a cylindrical sleeve 7 slides. The forward portion of the fuse-stock is screwthreaded as at 8to receive a fuse nose-plug 10 provided with an axial duct or vent 11 as shown, though the fuse nose-plug may be made an integral part of the fuse-stoc if so desired. In simllar manner the rearward portion of the bore of the fuse-stock is screwthreaded as at 12 to receive a fuse base plug 13 which is provided with an axial primlng is bored out to provide a cylindrical cham-.

ber 15 concentric to its exterior and containing a firing plunger 16. The chamber 15 is closed at the front except for a circular hole 17 slightly larger and opposite the vent 11 in the fuse nose-plug and formed by an internal flange 19 in the sleeve 7. At the rear a slight recess is provided into which a primer container 18 is screwed or otherwise secured as desired.

A primer 20 is held in a recess in the primer container by a primer support 21 provided with a primer vent 22 and secured in the recess by a screw joint or other suitable means. The rear portion of the bore of the primer container is enlarged in diameter so as to form a powder chamber for the ignition charge, and is provided with lips to hold an igniter disc 29 in place in front of the powder. The primer container 18 has a plurality of cuts in its periphery, as shown in Figure 4, leaving an interrupted thread and two or more longitudinal channels 24 between the primer container and the sleeve 7 (three being shown in present embodiment of my in- ,vention) The wall of the plunger 16 is cut away in alternate sections correspondin to the lands of the primer container perip ery, leaving two or more legs 25, Figure 3, (three being shown) which extend through and slide in the channels 24. A firin pin 26 is screwed into the front part of the plunger. 16, extending inwardly with the point opposite the primer 20. The exterior face of the plunger 16 is formed into a cupped annular groove with a conical boss 27 at the center and a lip 28 at the periphery. This lip acts as an obturator to prevent the leakage of liquid past the plunger.

Between the plunger 16 and the member 18 is a helical spring 30 mounted under compression. This spring need not be of any great strength, but simply is to insure that the plunger 16 remains in the forward position against the flange of the sleeve 7 Another helical spring 31 is mountedunder compression between the fuse nose-plug 10 and the sleeve 7. This spring likewise need not be of any great strength, but should have sufiicient force to sustain the sleeve and the plunger at the rear of the chamber in action, and which is well shown in Figure 1, and would continue in that position when the gun is'fired and while the shell is in flight. The legs 25 of the plun er 16 rest against the fuse base-plug 13, thus preventing the firin pin 26 from coming into contact with t e primer 20. hen the shell strikes the water, however, the slight arresting of the shells flight on impact tends to throw both the sleeve 7 and the plunger 16 forward. Before this action is completed, however, water moving with great'velocity, due to the relative velocity of the shell and the body of water which it strikes, enters the interior of the fuse through the vent 11 in a jet and impinges against the plunger 16, forcing it to the rear. After impinging on the plunger 16 the entering jet of water is deflected by the cupped groove and lip 28 on the face of the plunger 16 and strikes the rear face of the flange 19 of the sleeve 7 driving it forward. It will thus be seen that the kinetic energy of the entering jet of'water is utilized to bring the primer 20 and the firing pin 26 to ether instantly and with great force, exp oding the primer and setting fire to the igniter charge 23.

The firing of the primer, therefore, depends on a relative movement of the plunger 16 and the sleeve 7. This relative movement cannot be produced by accident, as will be apparent when it is considered that if the shell is dropped on its nose the plunger and the sleeve will be impelled forward together and will be cushioned and returned to' their normal position without relative movement by the spring. If the shell is dropped on its base, the legs ofthe plunger prevent relative movement and if the shell drops on its side, there is no unrestrained force operating to produce relative movement. Were the spring 31 not provided, however, and should the sleeve 7 stick in its forward position due to corrosion or binding, a drop on the base, or firing in the gun, might fire the primer. The spring 30 is provided to insure that the sleeve and plunger will always move to gether.

On striking the water, the sleeve 7 is thrown forward, its weight supplementing the reaction of the jet of entering water, while the plunger 16 which must be checked and prevented from going forward is small and light in weight, as well as being acted upon directly by the entering water. The operation occurs when the shell has penetrated into the water only a few inches, and is consequently unaffected by ricochet and does not depend on arresting the flight of the shell.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a fuse which is entirely safe, extremely rapid adapted to the purposes for which intended.

While the accompanying drawings illus trate what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be under stood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appanded claims.

hat I claim is 1. In a fuse, in combination, a plunger, a sleeve, a firing pin carried by one and a primer b the other, said plunger and sleeve both being adapted to have movement through the impingement of a jet of liquid upon said plunger and sleeve.

2. In a fuse of the character described, in combination, a fuse stock having an opening at the forward end, a plunge-r, a sleeve surrounding said plunger, a firing pin and a primer carried by said plunger and sleeve, sald sleeve and plunger both being adapted to have relative movement with respect to the stock when engaged by a jet of water entering through the opening in the stock whereby the firing pin and primer are brou ht forcibly into contact.

3. n a fuse of the character described,'in combination, a fuse stock having an opening for the admission of water, a plunger therein, a movable sleeve surrounding the plunger, a firing pin and primer carried by said sleeve and plunger and means for deflecting a jet of liquid passing in through the opening of the stock from the plunger against the sleeve thereby to secure relative movement of both of said parts and bring the firing pin and detonator into engagement.

4. In a fuse of the character described, in combination, a. fuse stock having a water inlet opening, a plunger, a movable sleeve surrounding said plunger, a firing pin and primer carried by the sleeve and plunger and means comprising an annular groove in the face of the p-lun r for deflecting a jet of water entering t rough the inlet opening against said sleeve thereby to secure movement of said sleeve to bring the firing pin and primer into engagement.

5. In a fuse of the character described, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a longitudinal duct communicating with the exterior of the fuse stock, a plunger provided with a firing pin mounted therein and having a plurality of longitudinal extensions, a sleeve carrying a primer enclosing said plunger and provided with longitudinal channels in which the longitudinal extensions of said plunger are free to slide, and means for deflecting a jet of liquid entering through the duct of the fuse stock from the plunger to the sleeve to secure movement of the same.

6. In a fuse of the character described, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a longitudinal duct communicating with the exterior of the fuse stock, a plunger provided with a firing pin mounted therein and having a plurality of longitudinal extensions, a sleeve carrying a primer enclosing said plunger and provided with longitudinal channels in which the lon itudinal extensions of said plunger are free to slide, and means for deflecting a jet of liquid entering through the duct of the fuse stock from the plunger to the sleeve to secure movement of the same, said means comprising an annular cupped groove in the fact of the plunger, and a lip at the periphery of the groove.

7. In a fuse of the character described, in combination, a fuse stock, a fuse stock plug provided with a longitudinal duct communieating with the exterior of the fuse stock, a.

plunger provided with a. firing pin mounted therein, and provided with a plurality of longitudinal extensions, a sleeve carrying a primer-container with primer mounted therein, said primer-container being provided at its periphery with longitudinal grooves in which. the longitudinal extensions of the plunger extend and are free to slide, and means for deflecting a jet of water entering through the longitudinal duct in the fuse nose-plug from the plunger to the sleeve to secure movement of the same.

8. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock, a plunger, a movable sleeve enclosing said plunger, a firing pin and a primer carried by said plunger and sleeve, a spring interposed between said plunger and sleeve and a spring interposed between the fuse stock and the sleeve.

9. In a fuse, in combination, a fusestock provided with a water inlet, a firing p n, a primer, and means for utilizing the kinetic energy of a jet of water entering said inlet on impact to bring said firing pin and primer into forcible contact, said means comprising a plunger and a sleeve movable with respect to both the fuse stock and the plunger.

10. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock, a fuse nose-plug, a plunger, a sleeve carrying a primer container with a primer mounted therein, a spring mounted between said plunger and sleeve, and a spring mounted between the fuse nose-plug and the sleeve.

11. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, and means operable by the energy of reaction of a jet of water entering said inlet on impact to bring said primer into forcible contact .With said firing pin, said means comprising a movable sleeve carrying the primer.

12. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, and means operable by the kinetic energy of a jet of water entering said inlet to arm said firing pin and fire said primer.

13. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer and means operable b the kinetic energy of a jet of water entering said inlet to arm said firing pin and fire said primer, said means comprising a plunger and a movable sleeve.

14. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, and means for utilizing the kinetic energy of a jet of water entering said inlet upon impact to arm the fuse and bring the firing pin and primer into engagement.

15. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, and means operable by the impingement of a jet of water entering said inlet upon impact to bring said primer and firing pin into engagement, said means comprising aplunger and a movable sleeve.

.16. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, a mo able member, and means whereby the impulse force of water entering said inlet on impact is utilized as the so e means of arming said firing pin and firing said primer.

17. In a' fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a firing pin, a primer, and means whereby the impulse force of water entering said inlet on impact is utilized as the sole means of arming said firing pin and firing said primer.

18. In a fuse, in combination, a fuse stock provided with a water inlet, a member carrying a firing pin, and a member carrying a primer and means whereby the impulse force of water entering said inlet on impact is utilized as the sole means of bringing said members into operative relation to arm said firing pin and fire said primer.

Signed/at Washington, District of Columbiaflhis 31st da of October, 1919.

" H RRY J. NICHOLS. 

